Monroe Improves NCAA Provisional Mark, as WU Hosts Hammer Throw

By Robert McKinney, Athletics Communications Director, (503) 370-6110

SALEM, ORE. -- Jacob Monroe (Sr., Keizer, OR/McNary HS) of Willamette University won the hammer throw and improved his NCAA provisional qualifying distance with a toss of 176-0, as WU hosted the final event of the Pacific Northwest Relays on Saturday, April 11. All of the other events were co-hosted by Clackamas Community College and Warner Pacific College on Friday, April 10 in Oregon City, Ore.

Monroe's winning throw in the hammer was a personal best. It broke his previous top mark of 174'2" for an NCAA provisional qualifying result earlier this season. Monroe also led a 1-4-5 finish in the hammer on Saturday. Craig Sather (Jr., Junction City, OR/Junction City HS) was fourth at 149'5" and Steve Collins (So., Zillah, WA/Zillah HS) took fifth at 144'9".

On Friday in Oregon City, Willamette took first place in the men's pole vault relay and the men's shot put relay. In the field event relays, the top three finishers from each college or university were combined to attain an overall team distance.

Willamette achieved a combined result of 40'6" in the men's pole vault. Brandt Nevin (So., Eagle Point, OR/Eagle Point HS), Aaron Bilbao (Fr., Kingston, WA/Kingston HS) and Colby Takeda (So., Mililani, HI/Iolani HS) each cleared 13'6" for the Bearcats to contribute to the team's total distance. All three vaulters were part of a four-way tie for third place in the individual standings.

The overall result for WU in the shot put relay was a combined distance of 132'9.25". Monroe led the way with a fourth place finish and a toss of 44'8". David Oppat (So., Beaverton, OR/Southridge HS) registered a throw of 44'3.25" and placed sixth. Josh Clothier (So., Walla Walla, WA/Walla Walla HS) placed eighth at 43'10".

Monroe was second in the discus with a throw of 141'6". Jason Sloan of Western Oregon University won the discus at 143'8".

In addition to tying for third in the pole vault, Nevin just missed an NCAA provisional qualifying distance in the javelin. He placed second with a toss of 187'7", just three-fourths of an inch away from the NCAA provisional standard. Braden Keller of Clackamas CC won the javelin with a throw of 188'3".

Ray White (Fr., Corona, CA/Centennial HS) of WU placed fourth in the triple jump. He recorded a distance of 42'7.50".

Two Willamette runners tied for sixth in the men's 200-meter dash. Andy Meuser (Jr., Portland, OR/Woodrow Wilson HS) and Nate Dick (So., Stanfield, OR/Southern Oregon University) each achieved a time of 23.30 seconds. Abe Moland (So., Spokane, WA/St.George's School) was clocked in 0.01 later for eighth place at 23.31 seconds.

The Bearcats took first and second place in the men's 4 x 800-meter relay, as Willamette recorded times of 7:56.37 and 8:03.92. WU also achieved a 1-2 finish in the men's 4 x 1,600-meter relay. The 'Cats registered times of 17:46.01 and 18:07.67. Six teams raced in the men's 4 x 800 and seven teams took part in the men's 4 x 1,600.

Willamette won the women's 4 x 1,600-meter relay in 20:34.06 and took second in the women's 4 x 800-meter relay in 10:03.82. Warner Pacific College won the 4 x 800 with a time of 9:53.67.

In the women's hammer throw, Christina Edholm (Jr., Pleasanton, CA/Foothill HS) of Willamette placed first at 133'7". She also placed third in the shot put at 37'7.75" and was seventh in the discus at 104'1".

Andrea Richardson (Fr., Beaverton, OR/Aloha HS) won the women's high jump for Willamette. She was successful at 4'11.75". Six jumpers tied for second at 4'9.75".

Elizabeth Andrews (Jr., Bellevue, WA/Bellevue HS) of Willamette took third place in the individual standings for the women's pole vault. She was successful at 10'0" for her top vault of the day. Katie Peterson (So., Independence, OR/Central HS) added a third place finish in the javelin with a toss of 124'4".

Kaitlin St. John (Jr., Bend, OR/Mountain View HS) placed fourth in the women's 200-meter dash. She recorded a time of 26.76 seconds.

Willamette will compete at the Northwest Conference Multi-Event Championships on April 13-14. The NWC Multi-Events will be held at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Wash.